Cultivator and weed-cutter



F. A.- PALOHEIMO- CULTIVATOR AND WEED CUTTER. APPLICATION FILED FEB.24, 1920.

1.371.706. Patented Mar. 15, i921.

NUNIIUH FIGS.

UNITED STATES remar OEFFiC."

rnnivs ALFRED PALoHniino, on HnLsiNKI, FINLAND.

CULTIVATOR AN D WEED-CUTTER.

Specification of Letters-Patent. iwal.. 15 v1921.

. Application filed February 24, 1920'. Serial No.3'60,845.

T 0 aZZwwm 11i/may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANS ALFRED .PALO- Hniiro, a citizen of the State of Finland, residing at Helsinki, Finland, have invented certain newV and iisefril Improvements in Cultivators and feed-Gutters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cultivators and weed critters and moreparticrilarly to a cultivator for cutting weeds.

`lVhen weedsrv are merely `cut at the surface of. the soil, it is frequent that they are not destroyed, but continue to grow and extend their roots increasingly. Ordinary weed cutters merely cut the weeds at the surface or near the surface andy for the ieason above given are not entirely effective and satisfactory. v

It is an object of the present invention to provide a weed critter which first cuts the weeds somewhat below the surface, by cutting a slice of soil, and then automatically and without a separate operation breaks up the slice of so-il and the weeds contained therein simultaneously so as to insure that the weeds are severed or torn into as many pieces as possible and hence destroyed to a. greater degree. The implement for accomplishing this object, which is the sribject of the present invention, comprises a fixed knife portion suitably carried by a handle, and a rotary cutter comprising a plurality of star, or otherwise suitably shaped, wheels which cut the slice of soil and weeds as it passes from the knife, the rotary critter being located immediately to the rear of the knife so as to be held down to working position by the part of the knife lodged below the surface of the soil, and so that the back of the knife will constitute a ledger bar for the action of the star wheels of the rotary critter. The cutter Wheels themselves extend into the relatively soft soil behind the knife'so that the forward advance of the implement will cause the cutter to be rotated.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.y

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure l is a sectional side elevation of my implement, showing the handle broken away and the fork, knife and shaft for the rotary critter in section.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of one form of my invention, the knife being merely a straight edge and the star wheels of the rotary cutter being located entirely withinV the fork. l

Fig. 3 is atop planl view of anotherv forni ofmy invention, in this formi the knife edge being serrated or jagged land the star wheels of the rotary cutter being within vand partly without the fork.

partly Referring now to the invention assliown in the drawings, the fork a which may have any usrial or desired formation, has rigidly secured to itslower end a knife b whose cutting edge may be either straight or serrated, according to conditions or choice as may be desired. Immediately to the rear ofthe back edge of' the V'knife fb, I provide a series of star wheels 6,1 each of whichis mounted on avhub u through which extends a shaft or rod mounted in the fork a. The fork is driven into the soil and" forwardly to crit a slice of soil, along with any weeds that there may be, by means of a handle cl secured to the fork in the usual manner, orv

itinay be made the desired size and be pulled or pushed by any suitable means, as by animals or motive power. Y

As the implementY v advances along the ground cutting a slice of the so-il and the` weeds, the star wheels which constitute a rotary critter engage the soil as it slides along and off the top surface of the knife and chops or cuts it and the weeds'it contains into fine pieces and thus cultiva-tes the soil and destroys the weeds. The rotary cutter is mounted in the fork in such a manner that their outer edges, when the star Wheels are rotated, come into close proximity to the rear edge of the knife which thus serves as a ledger blade or bar against which clods and weeds are engaged in being cutby the star wheels. The star wheel axis is also so located that the sides of the teeth of the star wheels will have good shearing action on the weeds and clods to be crit thereby, and sol that the teeth of the star wheels will extend into the relatively soft soil behind the knife whereby the advance movements of the implement cause the star wheels to be rotated in the well known manner of a traction wheel.

I claim as my invention:

l. In a cultivator and weedV cutter, the combination with a frame; a knife mounted in the frame and adapted to cut a slice of the soil from the surface along with the weeds contained therein as the frame is moved along the ground; and a rotaryl critter located immediately to the rear of the knife whichthe cutting elements disintegrate the,

soil and Weeds as they pass over the rear `edged-of the knife. n i A ,n i

2. In a cultivator and Weed cutter, the,`

combination With a frame; a horizontally disposed knife mounted insaid frame and adaptedto cut aslice of the soil fromthe surface along Withfthe `Weeds contained therein as the 4frame is moved along `the ground; and a` rotary cutter located immediately to the rear of the knife and mounted to rotate in a vertical plane, said cutter comprising toothedcutting elements and a shaft on which the `toothed cutting elements are mounted, the shaft being located in proxi imity to the horizontal plane in which the knife is situated so that the toothed members of the rotary cutter engage the ground and are rotated thereby as the frame is advanced along the ground, the rotation of the rotary cutter causing the toothed cutting elements to disintegrate the cut soil as the `latter passes over the rear edge of the knife.

3. In'a cultivator and Weed cutter, the combination with a fork; a knife mounted at the forward portion of the fork and adapted to cut a slice of the soil from the surface along With the Weeds contained therein .as the fork is moved forwardly along the ground; and a rotary cutter `located immediately to the rear of the knife, said rotary cutter comprising a shaft mounted in the fork and a plurality of star Wheels Vjournaled on the shaft, the shaft being lo# cated in proximity to the horizontal plane in which the knife is situated so that the points of the star Wheels extend into the ground and are caused to rotate thereby as the fork is advanced along the ground, the rotation of the star Wheels `causing the cut soil and Weeds asthey pass from the knife to be disintegrated by the points ofthe star Wheels. i

In testimony whereof l have aiixed my signature in presence of tivo Witnesses.

FRANS ALFRED PALOHEIMO; Witnesses 1 ANNA SCHROEDER, ESTAN IVANoFF. 

